Microphone control



Aug. 29, 1933.. c. DREHER 1,924,679 MICROPHONE CONTROL I Filed 'March 24, 1931 .Hlllllllllil INVENTOR cm DREHER lvf ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 29, 1933 UNITED STATES:

Pt EN Y f FIC m 11,924,679 7 MICROPHONE ooN'rRoL Carl Dreher, Los Angeles, Calif assignor to v l Badio-Keith-Or'pheum Corporation, a corporaa tion of Maryland Application Mal-ch24, 1931. Serial No. 524,854

5Claims (014-79 -145) I i The present invention relates to a method of and apparatus for moving and rotating the microphones and equipment associated therewith,

such as bafiles and absorbers} used in the electri: cal pick-up of sounds, forany purpose, but more particularly for use in connection with sound recording, as in the production 'of talking motion pictures, in such a manner as not to interfere with the photography'of the production being filmed. i

In the production of talking motion pictures, the present practice is to locate the microphones used in picking up the voice and auxiliary sounds,

produced upon-the setyupon aboom which is utilized to move the microphone to the most fa vorable pick-up location at any instant. The boom and microphones are kept out of the range 'of the cameras. Certain other microphones are located in the flies or are hidden behind parts of the scenery or stage property. At present it is the practice to arrange the microphones prior to the commencing of a. shot and in the event that the sound picked up is not sutficient'for recording purposes, the picture must be "stopped andthe microphone relocated. Further in the present ardirect the location of the boom instead of the operator at the mixer, which latter must, however, direct the operations of the former.

come each of the above noted difficulties.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a new mounting for a microphone pick-up system. r

It is a still further object of this invention to provide means whereby'the mixer operator may directly control the motion and location of the recording apparatus in order to obtain the best recording results. i i

It is a further object of this invention to providea'system and apparatus which will permit the shift of the microphones to obtain thebest results without interrupting the performance of a shot being filmed.

These and other objects of myinvention will become apparent from the following specification crater, operates the motor controlling the point- The object of the present invention is to overis suspended in accordance with my invention,'

I From themotor shaft 14 is suspended a microing of the microphone, -whichlatter will follow the control motor, as it is rotated under the directionof the operator. The movement of the two motors may be made proportional, or an auxiliary indicating device maybe provided as desired to indicate the orientationof the microphone being controlled. v V I A similar arrangement may be provided for moving the booms from which the microphones are hung, and also for moving the microphones: through a vertical angle as required.

Theinterlocking control system thus provided may be utilized to direct the'rnoving andorienta tion of thefmicrophones on the sound movie stage without in any way interfering with the photography, forthe purpose of-securing the optimum acoustic conditions and thebest possible pickupa Having thus briefly described my invention, at tention is invited to the accompanying figures in w ch: m

Fig.1 shows a boom mounted microphone with its operatingmotor; f l g Fig. 2 shows the control motor for controlling the operatingmotorof Fig. 1; 1

.Fig. 3 shows the control motor indicating dial 8 and control knob';

Fig. 4 is awiringdiagram showing one arrange-" ment for connecting the interlocking'operating motor and control motor; and,

Fig. 5 shows an optional circuit arrangement for connecting the. interlocking operating and control motors.

Referring now' more particularly to Fig. 1, ll

shows the microphone boom or beam from which an operating motor 12 by means of the hanger 13. The motor hanger 13 is secured by any appropriate means to the stator ofthe operating motor.

phone hanger 15which serves in turn to suspend the microphone amplifier '16 to which is attached. the usual microphone 17. The microphone ampli fier is connected by means of the cable 19v passing through the boom 11, in the usual manner, to the mixing panel. The cables 21 and 23 are provided to appropriately connect the stator and rotor respectively of the motor 12 tothe stator and rotor of the control motor 25 (Fig. 2) as will be described more fully hereinafter.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 2 and I 4 3, the control motor 25 is mounted in a"conven-' ient location near the mixingpanel so as to be under the control of 'the'mixer operator. The shaft '24 of the motor'25- is extended and provided'with a controlknob 26 and indicator 28 no shown more clearly in Fig. 3. For indicating the direction of pointingof the microphone 17 there is provided an indicator scale 30. 'Ihe control motor and operating motor are preferably three phase Selsyn motors, and may be arranged as shown in Fig, 4 or Fig. 5. In Fig. 4, the stators 12F and 25F of the Selsyn motors are connected together by means of conductors 23 to afford the remote: control feature, while the rotors 12A and 25A are connected across the three phase supply 29 by'means of conductors 21,.

In Fig. 5, the stators 12']? and 25? of the Selsyn motors 12 and 25' respectively, are connected across the three phase supply line 29 by means of the conductors 21', while the two rotors 125A and 25A are connected together by means of conductors 23' to afford the remote control feature.

Similar connections may be provided to rotate the boom .11 relative to its standard (not shown). Also a similar arrangement may be provided to move the microphone .througha vertical angle,

if desired.

Bafiles and absorb'e'rs'may be arranged to be actuated with themicrophone and amplifier in any of the arrangements described.

'In operation, themixeroperator sets all of th microphones in the direction he thinks proper before the commencement of the rehearsal. Then as thescene is being rehearsed he may vary the is invited to the fact that various modifications- 5' may be made therein coming within its scope, and.

I am therefore not to .be limited tov the specific embodiment shown anddescribed for the purpose of illustration only but by the actual scope of my invention as set forth in theappended claims.

I claim: r n

1. A microphone mounting comprising a microphone, an amplifier connectedto said microphone, a hanger for supporting said microphone, a boom, an operating. motor attached to said boom by the field structure thereof, and adapted to support said hanger by the shaft thereof, a control motor the field windings of which are connected to the field windings of the-operating motor, and the armature windings ofwhich are connected to the armature windings of said oper- 'of said control motor Will be duplicated by a movement of saidoperating motor.

2. A microphone mounting including an amipliner adapted to support the microphone, a hanger for said microphone, a boom upon which said microphone is adapted to be supported, an operating motor supported by said boom and supporting said hanger, and a control motor connected to said operating motor whereby rotation of said control motor will actuate said operating motor to altar the pointing of said microphone.

3.--A microphone mounting comprising a standard for said microphone, an operating motor mounted upon said standard, a microphone mounted upon said operating motor, a control motor and connections whereby the operating motor maybe controlled'by said control motor, to vary the pointing of said microphone.

4. A microphone mounting including meansfor supporting a microphone, adjustable means includingan electrical motor supported above said microphone and connected to said supporting means, and means for remotely controlling the- CARL DREHER'. 

